if there is too be one central issue that can help us to determine whether the Mormon faith is a true christian faith .. there are many issues that can be raised but there is one that sticks out like a sore thumb and that is the nature of God ...
is it a monotheistic faith or a polytheistic faith this question i will seek to answer here
how we will seek to answer this important question is too allow the so called theological work of the faith speak for themselves as they are the most essential ones .. the book of Mormonism is not going to be included in this examination
while it is true that the faith in the beginning believed in monotheism as witnessed by the following words:
And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people. And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son— And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth -- mosiah 15 :1-4
note the heretical nature of modalistic language in passing as it is at this point not relevant to this discussion, what is vocal in this ... as we can see is Josephs view of God is just the "1 god" ... meaning he is at least monotheistic in his understanding, but only a shot number of year from the publication of this in 18 30 .. in 18 40 -44 his views on God nature radically altered
they become the all too familiar expressed view of polytheistic ... they belief that more than one God exists , in fact this can be noted in these words "I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods" which is seen in many other works of the faith
such as the following ones to name a few :
Apostle Orson Pratt expounded concerning the Mormon doctrine of a plurality of Gods: "If we should take a million of worlds like this and number their particles, we should find that there are more Gods than there are particles of matter in those worlds" (Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 345).
The Mormon church teaches that God the Father had a Father, and that God's Father also had a Father, and so on. President Brigham Young claimed: "He [God] is our Father—the Father of our spirits, and was once a man in mortal flesh as we are, and is now an exalted being. How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not Gods ... God has once been a finite being ... " (Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333).
Heber C. Kimball, who was a member of the First Presidency, made these similar comments: "... then we shall go back to our Father and God, who is connected with one who is still farther back; and this Father is connected with one still further back, and so on ..." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 19).
Orson Pratt explains further: "The Gods who dwell in the Heaven ... have been redeemed from the grave in a world which existed before the foundations of this earth were laid. They and the Heavenly body which they now inhabit were once in a fallen state ... they were exalted also, from fallen men to Celestial Gods to inhabit their Heaven forever and ever" (The Seer, p. 23).
Milton R. Hunter, who was a member of the First Council of Seventy, had a great deal to say about the doctrine of a plurality of Gods:
the above reveal just how far the this particular cult has travelled on it path to destruction, in even contradicting its own teaching on the nature of God .... but how and when did these changes occur in the faith of Mormonism ... to answer this it was in the last month to year of the prophets life in a funeral discourse called "the king follet's funeral discourse" to which smith was ask to make a statement in regards to his friend in faith
here is where this new ideal was injected into the faith too which many other followed suit in teaching, lets us example a small section to get a little familiar with it
God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible - I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form - like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with him, as one man talks and communes with another.
In order to understand the subject of the dead, for consolation of those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary we should understand the character and being of God and how he came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see.
These are incomprehensible ideas to some, but they are simple. It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God, and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another, and that he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did; and I will show it from the Bible.
note in the above extract of this document there are man themes interwoven that are very important in this matter of discerning what Mormonism actually is, but the main point i wish to draw upon is the idea that there are a multiplicity of God going back into eternity this is know as "the eternal law of progression" basically the though that God had a father who in turn also had a father and they were all Gods before the one Mormons now worship
also important to note is that this leads to man becoming a god too through works and marriage obligations
let us now consider a biblical case for who God is :
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the spirit of the LORD, or being his counselor, hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? (Isaiah 40:12-l8)
Have ye not known? have yet not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;
that bringeth princes to nothing; that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they have not been planted; yea, they have not been sown; yea, their stock hath not taken root in the earth: moreover he bloweth upon them, and they wither, and the whirlwind taketh them away as stubble. To whom then will ye liken me, that I should be equal to him? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these, that bringeth out their host by number; he calleth them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and for that he is strong in power, not one is lacking.
Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from Jehovah, and the justice due to me is passed away from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding. (Isaiah 40:21 -28)
note in the above passages that God is clearly describing his uniqueness as being the one true creator of a thing and there fore there no one like him in this universe neither in any other that a Mormon can dream up .. these passage are shaped as challenges to any wanna be challenger to step up prove himself as a true God ... here we note to themes that are distinct to God ... 1) the creator of all things .. time, space and matter ... no matter what it is even every living creature in heaven and earth. and 2) the challenge of thing that has happened and of what will happen ... and give a logical account there happenings
but the bible more direct on the very nature of God as being eternal .. have no beginning nor end as seen in the following passages:
Who hath raised up one from the east, whom he calleth in righteousness to his foot? he giveth nations before him, and maketh him rule over kings; he giveth them as the dust to his sword, as the driven stubble to his bow. He pursueth them, and passeth on safely, even by a way that he had not gone with his feet.
Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, Jehovah, the first, and with the last, I am he. The isles have seen, and fear; the ends of the earth tremble; they draw near, and come. (Isaiah 41 :2 -6)
You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed when there was no strange god among you and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.
Also henceforth I am he, there is none who can deliver from my hand I work, and who can turn it back?”
You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed when there was no strange god among you and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.
Also henceforth I am he, there is none who can deliver from my hand I work, and who can turn it back?”
Thus says the Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: (Isaiah 43 :10 -14)
Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I established the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and that shall come to pass, let them declare.Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have I not declared unto thee of old, and showed it? and ye are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? yea, there is no Rock; I know not any.(Isaiah 44 :6-8)
here we have Isaiah words as to the nature of God to which he make it clear that God is unique in another sense: that being he is eternal .. he is the first .. show he is not preceded by others, and he is the last mean there is none to follow .. this pretty much sums it up
Yahweh's is the sole deity and there is no other God whether a created idol or other type of god like his own being
note that in chapter 46 God denies there being other Gods like himself for more correctly affirms his the only unique God who is the creator of all things
we also have a few other essential passage to include in this examination :
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
we also have a few other essential passage to include in this examination :
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one
(Deuteronomy 6:4)
And
one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another,
and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is
the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
(mark 12 :28 -34)
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
(john 17 :1-5)
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
(1 Corinthians 8 :4 -6)
here is the final part of this examination into the main issue : and it is clear that the bible being God truth demonstrate that Yahweh is the one true deity that means there is no other true deities as that would be a contradiction in terms, and for us true christian who believes God has spoken his word in the bible, that no man can change the truth of this fact is not depending on our belief in it or disbelief in it .. it still remains the truth regardless
therefore any claim that is made in regards to the nature of God that contradict this essential doctrine of God nature, as being known as monotheistic is seen in light of the bible truth and exposed for the erroneous claim it is, it is a falsehood
this neccasarily includes the Mormon polytheistic claims about there being many gods
